FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation)
The FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) is the main set of rules U.S. executive agencies follow when they buy goods and services with appropriated funds. It governs how contracts are planned, competed, awarded and administered, and the clauses it contains become terms of the contracts companies sign.
By BidAuthorPublished Updated
01Where it lives
The FAR is codified in Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, and published with its updates on Acquisition.gov. The Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and NASA issue it jointly through the FAR Council. Agencies add their own supplements in other chapters of Title 48, such as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), so a defense solicitation applies both:
| Supplement | Agency | Title 48 chapter |
|---|---|---|
| DFARS | Department of Defense | 2 |
| HHSAR | Health and Human Services | 3 |
| GSAR | General Services Administration | 5 |
| VAAR | Department of Veterans Affairs | 8 |
| DEAR | Department of Energy | 9 |
| NFS | NASA | 18 |
02How the FAR changes
The FAR Council (FAR 1.201-1) maintains the regulation. Changes are issued as Federal Acquisition Circulars, and each section on Acquisition.gov shows the circular it reflects. Agencies can also depart from the FAR through deviations: an individual deviation affects one contract action (FAR 1.403), and a class deviation affects more than one (FAR 1.404).
03How it is organized
The FAR has 53 parts grouped by subject. These come up constantly in proposal work:
| Part | Subject |
|---|---|
| 1 | Federal Acquisition Regulations System |
| 2 | Definitions of Words and Terms |
| 4 | Administrative and Information Matters, including SAM registration |
| 5 | Publicizing Contract Actions |
| 6 | Competition Requirements |
| 8 | Required Sources of Supplies and Services, including GSA schedules |
| 9 | Contractor Qualifications, including exclusions and team arrangements |
| 10 | Market Research |
| 12 | Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services |
| 13 | Simplified Acquisition Procedures |
| 14 | Sealed Bidding |
| 15 | Contracting by Negotiation |
| 16 | Types of Contracts |
| 19 | Small Business Programs |
| 31 | Contract Cost Principles and Procedures |
| 33 | Protests, Disputes, and Appeals |
| 42 | Contract Administration and Audit Services |
| 49 | Termination of Contracts |
| 52 | Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses |
Other guides here cover the parts behind them: Part 9 in teaming agreement, Part 10 in RFI and sources sought, Part 13 in RFQ, Part 15 in RFP and evaluation criteria, and Part 19 in set-aside.
04Reading a FAR citation
FAR 1.105-2 explains the numbering: the digits to the left of the decimal point are the part, the digits to the right are the subpart and then the two-digit section, and the number after a dash is the subsection. Paragraph letters and numbers narrow it further.
| Citation | Reads as |
|---|---|
| FAR Part 15 | Contracting by Negotiation |
| FAR Subpart 15.3 | Source Selection |
| FAR 15.305 | Section 15.305, Proposal evaluation |
| FAR 15.305(a)(2) | Paragraph (a)(2) of that section, on past performance |
| FAR 52.219-14 | A Part 52 clause: the 19 after 52.2 is the part that prescribes it (FAR 52.101), and 14 is its sequence number |
05Reading a solicitation's FAR references
Section I of a federal solicitation lists the clauses incorporated by reference, and Section K holds the representations and certifications. A clause incorporated by reference binds you even though its text is not reproduced, so read the ones that affect cost and risk, such as limitations on subcontracting, payment and termination, before you price.
06The FAR overhaul
In 2025 the FAR Council began a rewrite of the regulation, the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, under the executive order Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. The rewritten parts were issued as model deviation text, which agencies adopt through class deviations until the FAR is formally revised through notice-and-comment rulemaking, and formal publication of the changes has begun. During the transition the codified text, an agency's deviation and a solicitation's clauses can differ, so check which version the solicitation incorporates; Acquisition.gov tracks the status of each part.
07Protests and disputes
If you believe a solicitation or an award is improper, FAR Part 33 lets you protest to the agency (FAR 33.103), to the Government Accountability Office (FAR 33.104) or to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. GAO's deadlines are short: a protest about something apparent in the solicitation must be filed before the time set for receipt of initial proposals, and most other protests within 10 days after the basis was known or should have been known (4 CFR 21.2). Disputes that arise during performance follow the separate disputes process in the same part.
FAR: common questions
Does the FAR apply to state and local governments?
No. The FAR governs acquisitions by federal executive agencies. States, counties and cities follow their own procurement codes, although many borrow its concepts.
What is the DFARS?
The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: the Department of Defense's supplement to the FAR, codified in Title 48, Chapter 2. Defense solicitations apply both.
Where can I read the current FAR?
On Acquisition.gov, which publishes the FAR, the agency supplements and the status of the FAR overhaul, and on eCFR as 48 CFR Chapter 1.
What is a class deviation?
Permission for an agency to depart from the FAR for more than one contract action, rather than a single one (FAR 1.404). Agencies have used class deviations to adopt the rewritten parts of the FAR overhaul ahead of formal rulemaking.
How do I protest a federal award?
To the agency, to GAO or to the Court of Federal Claims (FAR Part 33). GAO's rules are strict about time: most protests must be filed within 10 days after you knew or should have known the basis, and protests about the solicitation itself before proposals are due (4 CFR 21.2).
Sources
- 48 CFR Chapter 1 — Federal Acquisition RegulationeCFR
- 48 CFR Chapter 2 — Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS)eCFR
- FAR 1.101 — Purpose (the Federal Acquisition Regulations System)Acquisition.gov
- FAR OverhaulAcquisition.gov
- FAR 1.105-2 — Arrangement of regulationsAcquisition.gov
- FAR 52.101 — Using Part 52Acquisition.gov
- FAR 1.201-1 — The two councilsAcquisition.gov
- FAR 1.403 — Individual deviationsAcquisition.gov
- FAR 1.404 — Class deviationsAcquisition.gov
- FAR Part 33 — Protests, Disputes, and AppealsAcquisition.gov
- 4 CFR 21.2 — Time for filing (GAO bid protests)eCFR
Related terms
Put the vocabulary to work
Upload a solicitation and BidAuthor extracts every requirement, drafts cited answers from your knowledge base, and exports a submission-ready response.